Assisted dying/assisted suicide

The passing of legislation to permit the practice of assisted dying/assisted suicide would represent a significant societal shift.

It is therefore appropriate that this decision is made by parliaments for their respective jurisdictions. In doing so, it is important that parliamentarians give careful consideration to the safeguarding of patients and their doctors, as well as to the reliability of consent procedures.

The College is actively undertaking work on this complex subject, focusing primarily on the possible impacts on those with mental illness, intellectual disabilities and neurodevelopmental conditions, and implications for the psychiatric profession. We will publish more information in due course.

RCPsych members

Members can access more detailed material and information about our engagement with policymakers on assisted dying/assisted suicide to date via the button below.